Sinjeong Intersection loach soup for solo diners: Songga Chueotang

With the seasons changing, mornings and evenings have gotten pretty chilly. My throat was scratchy, like I was coming down with a cold. At times like this it's good to look after yourself with healthy, restorative food, right? So I went to Songga Chueotang (송가네 추어탕) near the Sinjeong intersection for lunch. If you like Korean food with hot, steaming broth, I'd recommend this place.

Where is Songga Chueotang and what are its hours?

Songga Chueotang is on a roadside in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, near the Sinwol 4-dong food street. It's open daily 10:30–21:30 with no break time. It's across from a CU convenience store, so it was easy to find, and the yellow sign really catches your eye!!

Is Songga Chueotang good for eating alone?

The restaurant is huge and tidy overall. I think there were about 12 tables for four. It opens early too, so it works for breakfast as well.

I visited a little after 11 on a weekday, and in no time loads of customers poured in. There were still plenty of seats, so eating alone was comfortable. With such good value, it seemed like a fine spot for group gatherings or company dinners too.

Songga Chueotang menu and prices

The signature dish, loach soup (chueotang, a thick soup of ground mudfish), is ₩12,000. Here are the menu prices as I noted them in the original post.

• Loach soup ₩12,000
• Beef offal soup ₩12,000
• Korean beef bossin soup ₩12,000
• Beef tripe hot pot ₩39,000
• Spicy braised chicken ₩32,000
• Lacquer-tree chicken/duck ₩70,000
• Fried loach, small ₩8,000

What comes with the basic spread at Songga Chueotang?

I ordered just one portion of snail loach soup for my solo lunch, and the basic spread still came out truly generous and varied!! It had cabbage kimchi, boiled pork (suyuk), bean sprouts, green onion kimchi, Cheongyang chili peppers, onion, doenjang (soybean paste), fresh chives, and sweet potato fritters. The side dishes really are generous, right!!! The value was absolutely the best.

How does the snail loach soup taste, and is it spicy?

At Songga Chueotang I had the snail loach soup (ureong chueotang), the basic loach soup with added snails. Freshly cooked pot rice, made as soon as you order, comes with it. With the weather getting so chilly, hot soup and rice made a truly filling, delicious restorative lunch!!

The base broth is deep and rich, yet not salty, and clean-tasting. It isn't spicy at all, just nutty and mild. I thought it would be good for kids too.

The loach is so finely ground you can't feel any chunks, which makes the broth wonderfully thick!! Chewy snails add a great bite, so it was really tasty. There was also a huge amount of tender siraegi (dried radish greens)!!!

Seasonings to add to your loach soup

At Songga Chueotang, adding chives, Cheongyang chili, minced garlic, perilla seed powder, black pepper, or sancho (Korean pepper) powder to taste is the best!! I added everything except the sancho powder and perilla seeds. I love sharp, spicy flavors, so I piled in the Cheongyang chili.

The soup is so thick that it's filling even without rice. Still, not putting rice in such tasty broth would be cheating, haha, so I finished everything cleanly to the end!!!

Pot rice and scorched rice (nurungji) at Songga Chueotang

The pot rice at Songga Chueotang is freshly cooked, so the rice itself is definitely delicious!!! I ended up putting it in the soup and finishing it all, sob. The scorched rice (nurungji) to finish was perfect too!!!

Small fried loach (8,000 won), a good size for solo diners

Songga Chueotang has a small-size fried loach (₩8,000), which is great to add when eating alone. Skipping the fried loach would be such a letdown, right!!! Crispy, nutty batter and juicy, savory loach, please do try it!!!! It's delicious!!

Is Songga Chueotang worth it for lunch near Sinjeong Intersection?

Songga Chueotang has generous portions, pot rice, and boiled pork included in the basic spread. Overall the taste, composition, and value were really good!!! If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, I strongly recommend Songga Chueotang near the Sinjeong intersection!!!